Method of knitting patterned fabric



N. LEVlN METHOD OF KNITTING PATTERNED FABRIC Feb. 16, 1960 Filed July 17, 1956 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Fifi- J.

INVENTOR. NA THAN LEV/N A TTORNEY Feb 16, 1960 N. LEVIN 2,924,956

METHODUOF KNITTING PATTERNED FABRIC Filed July 17, 1956 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 FEED d a N9 3 1 F FlE- E1 FEED FEED 27-1 IN VEN TOR. IVA THAN LE V/N BYWA A TTORNE) Feb. 16, 1960 N. LEVIN 2,924,956

METHOD OF KNITTING PATTERNED FABRIC Filed July 17, 1956 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 FEED b c N93 f FlE 7 25 FEED INVENTOR.

NA THAN LEV/N Evy/$4 ATTORNEY United States Patent rmrrron or KNITTING PATTERNED FABRIC Nathan Levin, Trenton, N.J., assignor to Textile Machine Works, Wyomissing, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application July 17, 1956, Serial No. 598,469 7 Claims. (Cl. 66-43) The present invention relates generally to the artof knitting and more particularly to weft knit fabric composed of suture joined areas or portions of fabric having an overplaid design incorporated therein and to the method of making the same.

In an application Serial No. 584,932, filed May 15, 1956, of which the present application may be considered a continuation-in-part, a method of knitting an overplaid design in suture joined areas of a tubular fabric is disclosed, the method generally providing for the operation of a four feed circular knitting machine in such manner that an opposite pair of feeds (also known as knitting stations) forms a corresponding first pair of fabric areas oppositely disposed in the tubular fabric while the other pair of feeds incorporates the overplaid design within the said first pair of fabric areas during the knitting thereof,and then reversing the action of each of the pairs of feeds for the formation of a second pair of overplaid; ornamented oppositely disposed fabric areas, the fabric areas of said first and second pairs and of other similar pairs thereof being arranged in alternation to form said tubular fabric.

In the above rnethod, a pair of overplaid yarns is individually associated with each of the feeds with the result that the overall overplaid design in the tubular fabric is made up of a series of eight individual yarns, portions of which float walewise'within the tubular fabric between certain of the fabric areas.

It isan object of the present invention to provide a tubularweft knit fabric, which may comprise the leg of a stocking, having a plural section pattern composed of a plurality ofsuture joined areas of fabric ornamented with an'overplaid design in which the design is formed of a plurality of individual overplaid yarns each of which is knit generally along the line of a continuous spiral without walewise floats thereof, and to provide a method of knitting the same.

. It" is also the object of the present invention to provide aktubular weft knit fabric having a four section pattern composed of a plurality of suture joined areas of fabric ornamented with an overplaid design in which the design is formed of four individual overplaid yarns each of which is knit generally along the line of a 360 degree spiral, and to provide a method of knitting the same.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide weft knit fabric having aplural section pattern composed of a plurality of suture joined areas of fabric ornam'ented with an overplaid design in which the design is formed of overplaid yarns of which individual ones thereof a're'knit across successive fabric areas and their com mongsutures in such manner as to cross each other within the fabric areas, and to provide a method of knitting the same; his a still further object of the present invention to provide a method of operation for a four feed circular knitting machine by reciprocation thereof, to knit an overplaid design in' suture joined areas of a tubular fabric,

2,924,956 "Patented Feb. 16, 1960 wherein an opposite pair of feeds forms a corresponding first pair of oppositely disposed fabric areas'while at each of the intervening pair of feeds a pair of overplaid yarns is employed in incorporating the overplaid design within the said first pair of fabric areas during the knitting thereof, the positions of the said pairs of overplaid yarns being reversed relative to the said intervening pair of feeds during the knitting of a portion of said first pair of fabric areas, and then reversing the action of each of the pairs of feeds for the formation of a second pair of overplaid-ornamented oppositely disposed fabric areas, the said pairs of overplaid yarns in different paired relationships now being incorporated in the second pair of fabric areas at the first named opposite pair of feeds dur' ing the knitting of said second pair of fabric areas, these method steps being repeated to form other pairs of fabric areas all of which are overpl id-ornamented with said pairs of overplaid yarns the ind ividual ones of which are in varying relationship with each other in said other pairs of fabrics areas, the fabri areas of the said first and second pairs and of saido her pairs thereof being arranged in alternation to form aid tubular fabric.

With these and other objects in viewwhich will become apparent from the following detailed. description of the illustrative embodiment of the invention shown in the accompanying drawings, the invention resides in the novel features of the present method of knitting and in the product resulting therefrom, as hereinafter more particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings:

' Figure 1 is a side View of one side of ahsolid colorstocking of the Argyle type having an overplaid design of the present invention incorporated therein;

Fig. 2 is a partial view of the opposite side of the stocking shown in Fig, l;

by a dot and dash line; and

Figs. 4 through 10 are views similar to Fig.3 illustrat-i ing other steps in the present method of knitting,

The overplaid design is preferably incorporated in cirfcular knit hosiery and is preferably made upon a multi-.

feed machine of the type disclosed in the application of Benjamin FranklinCoile, Serial No. 329,801, filedJanuary 6, 1953, to which reference may be made.

In the machine of the Coile application, hosiery. of the Argyle or intarsia type having solid color, suture joined,

four-section patterns may be knit by more. than one method. One method includes the formation of a complete course, containing suture joined partial courses of each of the four pattern sections, on the four feeds during each stroke of the machine. In a second method, the

machine may be operated to knit an opposite pair. of

partial courses of a first pair of opposite pattern section fabric areas on correspondingly"opposite feeds, with the other pair" of feeds normally inactive, during each stroke of the machine. In this latter method, known as the fillin system, the said firstpair' of opposite fabric areas is completed by their associated pair of feeds, after which i the said pair of feeds is made inactive and the previously inactive pair of feeds is made active to knit the inbetween second pair of'fabric'areas. For example, in the case of diamond shaped areas of an Argyle pattern, the feeds,

Nos. 1 and 3 may knit an opposite pair of diamonds in an opposite pair of pattern sections withfeeds Nos. 2' and 4 inactive, after which the feeds Nos. 2 and 4'may be activated to knit and fill-in an inbetween pair of dia monds in the intervening pair of pattern sections .with feeds Nos. 1 and 3 inactive, and then these steps may be j repeated. it will be understood that the contiguous diamonds are suture joined along their outlines as the held loops thereof on needlesv progressively retired during the knitting of any one pair of diamonds are knitted when the retired needles are progressively made active during knitting of the other pair of diamonds. The fill-in-system is not limited to the formation of diamondshaped areas but may be used for solid color areas of other configuration. It is with the fill-in system of solid color knitting that my application Serial No. 584,932 and the present application are related, in connection with the incorporation of an overplaid design.

As illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2, the stocking includes a top 10, a leg portion 11, and the usual foot'portion 12, the leg portion is provided with a four pattern section diamond shaped Argyle pattern of which there are the upper opposite pair of side half diamonds13 and 14; the intermediate opposite pair of side diamonds 15 and 16; the lower opposite pair 'of side half diamonds 17 and 18; the front and rear upper pair of diamonds 19 and 20; and the front and rear lower pair of diamonds 21 and 22. The various diamonds are joined along diagonally extending suture lines indicated at 23. The diamonds themselves, each of a solid color, are ornamental with an overplaid design comprising relatively narrow lines of stitches of contrastingly colored yarns, the overplaid design generally dividing each diamond into a group of four smaller diamonds. The diamond areas 13, 15 and 17 and the diamond areas 14, 16 and 18, are formed in an opposite pair of pattern sections while the diamond areas 19 and 21 and the diamond areas 20 and 22 are formed in the intervening pair of pattern sections. It will be noted that there is a number of wales common. to adjacent pattern sections.

The diamond shaped areas of the stocking shown in Figs. 1 and 2 are provided with an overplaid design knit of overplaid yarns a, b, c, and d, of which one pair thereof, the yarns a and b, start to knit generally at about the center of the widest course of side half diamond 13 and, as the knitting of the stocking continues, diverge along the paths of oppositely spiraled lines to meet the midpoints of its lower suture lines 23 (which are also the mid-points of the upper suture lines 23 of the diamonds 19 and 20 of Fig. 1) about half way down the half diamond 13, then continue to knit along the same spirals to centrally cross the diamonds 19 and 20 to meet the mid-points of their lower suture lines 23 shown in Fig. 2 (which are also the mid-points of the upper suture lines 23 of the diamond 16) then'continue to knitalong the same spirals to centrally cross the diamond 16 and to cross each other to meet the mid-points of the lower suture lines 23 of the diamond 16 (which are also the mid-points of the upper suture lines 23 of the diamonds 21 and 22 of Fig. 2), then continue to knit along the same spirals to centrally cross the diamonds 21 and 22 to meet the mid-points of their lower suture lines 23 shown in Fig. 1 (which are also the mid-points of the upper suture lines 23 of the lower side half diamond 17), and then continue to knit along the same spirals in the half diamond 17 to meet at about the center of its widest course, after which knitting of the overplaid yarns a and b ceases and the terminal ends thereof float inside the stocking, as indicated by the dotted lines, the beginning ends of these yarns also being indicated by dotted lines.

In a similar manner the other pair of overplaid yarns, c and d, are also knit along the paths of opposite spiraled lines, in the half diamond 14, the diamonds 19 and 20, the diamond 15, the diamonds 21 and 22, and finally the half diamond 18, the yarns c and d crossing each other in the diamond 15 and individually crossing the yarns .a and b in the diamonds 19, 20, 21 and 22. Thus the yarns of each pair thereof, beginning in each of the opposite upper half diamonds 13 and 14, are reversely spiraled for 360 degrees around the tubular leg portion of the stocking and terminate in. the opposite lower half diamonds 17 and 18.

The particular location of the overplaid design shown in the drawing is by way of example only and it may be placed in other portions of the diamonds, also, the design itself may be varied, and in one form or another, may be used in combination with suture joined fabric areas of other configuration.

Generally in the method of knitting set forth in application Serial No. 584,932, the side half diamonds 13 and 14, the side full diamonds 15 and 16,and the side half diamonds 17 and 1 8, are knit at feeds Nos. 2 and 4 of suitable body yarns, while the overplaid design is incorporated in these diamonds at the feeds Nos. 1 and 3 by using a pair of overplaid yarns at and individual to each of the latter feeds. The front and rear diamonds 19, 20, 21 and 22 are knit at fGBdS'NOS. 1 and 3 of suitable body yarns, while the overplaid design 'is incorporated in these diamonds at feeds Nos. 2 and 4 by using another pair of overplaid yarns at and individual to each of the latter feeds. The overplaid yarns thus float walewise inside the fabric between the diamonds 'Withinwhich they are incorporated since the knit lines of the overplaid yarns do not extend into adjoining fabric areas.

According to the method of the present invention, the opposite side half diamonds 13 and 14, the opposite side half diamonds 17 and 18, and the opposite side full diamonds 15 and 16, are knit at feeds Nos. 2'and 4,.of suitable body yarns 24 and 25 (according to the diagrammatic arrangements of Figs. 3, 6, 7 and 10) while at the same time the overplaid yarns a, b, c, and d, in varying relationships with each other at the feeds Nos. 1 and 3, are incorporated therein at the latter two feeds, generally after the principle set forth in application Serial No. 584,932. The front and rear diamonds 19, 20, 21 and 22, are knit at feeds Nos. 1 and 3, of suitable body yarns 26 and 27 (according to the diagrammatic arrangements of Figs-4, 5, 8 and 9) while at the same time the overplaid yarns a, b, c, and d, in varying relationships with each other at the feeds Nos. 2 and 4, are incorporated therein at the latter two feeds, also generally after the principle set forth in application Serial No. 584,932.

' It should be noted that the overplaid yarns are arranged in a particular manner at the various feeds, for example, when the-upper side half diamonds 13 and 14 are to be made, Fig. 3, the yarns c and b are at feed No. 1 while yarns d and a are at feed No. 3 with yarns a and b disposed for incorporation in half diamond .13 while yarns c and d are incorporated in half diamond 14. In Fig. 4, the yarns a and b are shown as having been moved to the nearest feed, feed No. 2, while the yarns c and d have been moved to feed N0. 4, and with this arrangement the upper half portions of the diamonds 19 and 20 are made, i.e., to the widest courses thereof, while for the formation of thelower half portions of these diamonds, Fig. 5, the positions of the pairs of yarns aand b and c and d are reversed relative to feeds Nos. 2 and 4 so that yarns a and b are now at feed No. 4 while the yarns c and d are nowat feed No. 2', the arrangement being such that. each pair of the overplaid yarns continues to be incorporated in the same diamond areas but from the opposite feed. In Fig. 6, the yarns a and d have been moved to the nearest feed, feed No. 3, while the yarns c and b have been movedto feed No. 1, and with this arrangement the upper half portions of the side diamonds 15 and 16 are made, while for the formationof the lower half portions of these diamonds, Fig. 7, the position of the pairs of yarns a and d and b and c are reversed relative to feeds Nos. 1 and 3v so that yarns a and d are now at feed No. 1 while yarns b and c are nowat feed. No. 3, the arrangement being such that each pair of the overplaid yarns continues to be incorporated in the same diamond areas but from :the opposite feed. In Fig. 8, the yarns c and d have been moved to the nearest feed,,feed No. 2, while the yarns a and b havebeen moved tofeed No. 4, and with assists arrangement the upper half portions of the diamonds 2 1:

and 22 are made, while for the formation of the lower half portions of these diamonds, Fig. 9, the positions of the pairs of yarns a and b and c and dare reversed relative to feeds Nos. 2-and 4 so that yarns a and b are now at feed No. 2 while yarns c and d are now at feed No. 4, the arrangement being such that each pair of the overplaid yarns continues to be incorporated in the same diamond areas but from the opposite feed. In Fig. 10, the yarns a and d have been moved to the nearest feed, feed No. 1, while the yarns c and b have been moved to the feed No. 3, and with this arrangement the lower side half diamonds 17 and 18 are made. a

It will be understood that the overplaid yarns will be moved to the positions thereof shown in Fig. 3 for the formation of the side halfdiamonds 13 and 14 of each separate stocking being made, after which the method steps above set forth will be repeated. The body yarns may be changed as to color as desired so that the various diamonds may be contrastingly colored. The overplaid yarns, which may also be contrastingly colored, may be moved back and forth between an adjacent or between an opposite pair of feeds by any suitable means,- for example, the overplaid yarn feeding fingers may be pivotally disposed in pairsupon a pair of rings within a turret which is axially aligned with and disposed above the needle cylinder so that rotation of the rings in the proper directions and for the proper distances, under pattern control, will place the yarns at the appropriate feeds while pivotal movement of the fingers 'willplace them in feeding and in non-feeding positions.

In this manner the yarns of the pairs of yarns a and b and c and d are reversely spiraled, beginning and terminating at a common circumferentially located point, although they may continue beyond the 360 degree spirals in the event that the overplaid design is extended into the foot portion of the stocking, to provide a type of overplaid design which is especially desirable when the colors of the individual overplaid yarns are properly chosen. Vertical interior floats of the overplaid yarns (which were subject to a trimming operation) between diamonds, in the type of overplaid design shown in application Serial No. 584,932, are avoided and the overplaid design is formed of a lesser number of yarns to provide a neater and generally more attractive appearance to the interior of the stocking which is thus free of unsightly cut ends of overplaid yarns. Furthermore, a stronger and better stitch construction is provided by continuing the knitting of the overplaid yarns spirally across the suture lines and the centers of the diamonds, for this avoids the possibility of holes or weak points in the fabric at the places where, previously, the stitches of each overplaid yarn either terminated, or began at or near the suture lines, or reversed directions within the fabric sections. It will be noted that each of the overplaid yarns is knit spirally across fabric areas of the four pattern sections.

Having thus described my invention in full detail, it will be understood that these details need not be strictly adhered to and that various changes and modifications may be made all falling within the scope of the invention as defined by the following claims.

I claim:

1. A method of knitting on a circular knitting machine having four knitting stations and adapted to reciprocate to knit a tubular fabric at said stations, including the step of reciprocatorily knitting a yarn at each of an opposite pair of said stations to simultaneously form a pair of oppositely disposed fabric areas of said tubular fabric, the step of reciprocatorily knitting a first pair of yarns at the first of, and a second pair of yarns at the second of the intervening pair of knitting stations to form an overplaid type of design of said pairs of yarns in a portion of each fabric of said pair of fabric areas during the knitting thereof, and the step of reciprocatorily knitting said second pair of yarns at the first of, andsaid first pair of yarns at the second of, said intervening Pain of knitting stations to form an overplaid type of'design of said pairs of yarns in another portion of each fabric of said fabric areas during the knitting thereof.

2. A method of knitting on a circular knitting machine having a plurality of knitting stations and adapted to reciprocate to knit a tubular fabric at said stations, includ: ing the step of reciprocatorily knitting a yarn at each of a first pair of said stations to simultaneously forma pair of fabric areas oppositely disposed in said tubular fabric, the step of reciprocatorily knitting a first pair of yarns at the first of, and a second pair of yarns at the second of a second pair of said stations to form an over} plaid type of design of said pairs of yarns in a portion of each fabric of said pair of fabric areas during the knitting thereof, and the step of reciprocatorily knitting said sec:

ond pair of yarns at the first of, and said first pairof yarns at the second of, said second pair of stations-to form an overplaid type of design of said pairs of yarns in another portion of each fabric of said fabric areas during the knitting thereof.

3. The method of knitting on a circular knitting machine to reciprocatorily knit a tubular fabric, including the step of reciprocatorily knitting a yarn to form a fabric area of said tubular fabric, the step of reciprocatorily knitting a pair of yarns fed from a pair of fixed feeding points to form an overplaid type of design of said pair of yarns in one portion of said fabric area during the knitting thereof, and the step of reversing the position of said pair of yarns at said pair of feeding points and reciprocatorily knitting said pair of yarns in said reversed position to form an overplaid type of design of said pair of yarns in another portion of said fabric area during the knitting thereof.

4. The method of knitting on a circular knitting machine to reciprocatorily knit a tubular fabric having an overplaid type of design, including the step of reciprocatorily knitting a yarn to form a fabric area of said tubular fabric, said fabric area containing floats of said yarn Where said overplaid design is incorporated therein, the step of reciprocatorily knitting a pair of yarns fed from a pair of feeding points to form a portion of said design of said pair of yarns in association with the floats of a portion of said fabric area during the knitting thereof, and the step of reversing the position of said pair of yarns at said pair of feeding points and reciprocatorily knitting said pair of yarns in said reversed position to form another portion of said design of said pair of yarns in association with the floats of another portion of said fabric area during the knitting thereof.

5. A method of knitting on a circular knitting machine having at least three knitting stations and adapted to reciprocate to knit a tubular fabric, including the step of reciprocatorily knitting a yarn at a first one of said stations to form a fabric area disposed in said tubular fabric, the step of reciprocatorily knitting a second yarn at a second of and a third yarn at a third of said stations of and said second yarn at said third of said stations to' form an overplaid type of design in another portion of said fabric area during the knitting thereof.

6. A method of knitting on a circular knitting machine having four circumferentially spaced knitting stations and adapted to reciprocate to knit a tubular fabric at said stations, including the step of reciprocatorily knitting a first yarn at a first and a second yarn at a third of said stations to simultaneously form a first pair of fabric areas oppositely disposed in said tubular fabric, the step of reciprocatorily knitting a third and a fourth yarn at a second and a fifth and a sixth yarn at a fourth of said knitting stations to form an overplaid type of design of said last four mentioned yarns in a portion of each fabric of said first pair of. fabric areas during the knitting thereof, the step {of reciprocatorily knitting said fifth and sixt'h'yarns at said'second and. said third and fourth yarns at saidfourth knitting stations to form an overplaid type of designof said 'last four mentioned yarns in another portion of each fabric of said first pair of fabric areas during the knitting thereof, the step of reciprocatorily knitting a seventh yarn at'said second and an eighthyarn at said fourth knitting stations to simultaneously form a second pair of fabric areas oppositely disposed in said tubular fabric in circumferential alternationfwith the fabric areas of said first pair thereof, and the step of reciprocatorily knitting one of said third and fourth yarns and one of said fifth and sixth yarns at said first knitting station and the remaining ones of'said last four mentioned yarns at said third knitting station to form anoverplaid type of design of said last four mentioned yarns in a portion of each fabric of said second pair offfabric'areas.

7. A method of .knitting'on a circular knitting machine having four knitting stations and adapted to reciprocate to knit a tubular fabric at said stations, including the step of reciprocatorily knitting a yarn at each of an opposite pair of said stations to simultaneously form a first pair of fabric areas oppositely disposed in said tubular fabric, the step of reciprocatorily knitting a pair of yarns at each of the intervening pair of said stations to form an overplaid type of design of said pairs of yarns in each "fabric of said first pair of fabric areas during the knitting thereof, thestep of changing the operation 80 of said pairs of stations to simultaneously form'a'second pair of fabric areas at said intervening pair of stations similarly ornamented with said pairs of yarns at said oppos'itepair of stations, said second pairfof fabric areas being oppositely .disposed in said tubular fabric and in circumferential alternation with the first mentioned fabric areas, and the step of repeating the aforementioned steps to.form.other pairs of similarly disposed fabric areas similarly ornamented with said pairs of yarns, the pairs ofyarns being interchanged as unchanged pairs thereof between the two stations of any one pair of opposite knitting stations during the formation of the design portion of .a pair of fabric areas 'being knit at the other pair of opposite knitting stations, and the'yarns of each pair thereof being singly moved from any one pair of opposite knitting stations to provide thepair of yarns at each of the other pair of opposite knitting stations prior to the formationofta portion of the design in each fabric of the pair of fabric areas being knit at said one pair of stations.

' References Cited in 'thefile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,217,022 Lawson et a1. Oct. 8, 1940 2,626,516 Green Jan. 27, 1953 2,642,732 Thurston June 23, 1953 2,680,961 Thurston June 15, 1954 2,693,094 ,Marlette et'al. Nov. 2, 1954 2,856,762 Gell Oct. 21, 1958 FOREIGN PATENTS 790,141 GreatlBritain Feb. 5, 1958 v dart... 

